Confrontation with Metal Workers' Union Member: "Please Observe Etiquette"
Rebuttal: "Isn't This Worker Discrimination?"... Metal Workers' Union Confirms Incident
Lotte Department Store: "No Dress Code Regulations"
A member of the Metal Workers' Union is having a dispute with an employee asking him to take off his vest at the Lotte Department Store food court. Screenshot from X (formerly Twitter)
A video is spreading online showing an employee at a Lotte Department Store food court in Seoul asking a man wearing a "union vest" to take it off while he was dining. The reason given is that complaints were received from customers who felt uncomfortable, and the department store, being private property, asked for compliance with its policies.
Recently, a video was posted on a social networking service showing a dispute between an employee and a man wearing a Metal Workers' Union vest at the Lotte Department Store food court. In the video, when the employee asks the man to "observe etiquette in public spaces," the man responds, "We wear union vests like this even in public places. We go to the front of the Blue House, we go everywhere."
When the employee replies, "This is private property," the man counters, "So you mean this is a standard set by the department store, but isn't that standard discriminatory against workers?" The employee then responds, "I am a worker too."
According to The Korea Times, the Korean Metal Workers' Union, which is under the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions, confirmed the video's authenticity. The man in the video is a branch office manager of the Metal Workers' Union. When he and 11 other union members entered the Lotte Department Store Jamsil branch for dinner, a department store representative asked them to remove their vests and hats.
The group only removed their hats and proceeded to the basement food court. It was later reported that two other staff members approached and asked them again to take off their vests, citing concerns that union vests in public spaces make other customers uncomfortable.
A Lotte Department Store public relations representative told OhmyNews, "We did not ask the customers to leave, but when we sensed that nearby customers were uncomfortable, a security guard asked them to remove the vests. They refused, so they simply finished their meal and left without further incident."
When asked whether there are any specific dress code restrictions for customers, such as union vests or sashes, the representative said, "There are no dress code regulations." They explained, "The Jamsil branch is a large store with many issues, so the security staff are sensitive, and when they confirmed that people nearby were uncomfortable, they made a direct request to the customer."
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